Our Milking Parlor
Our milking parlor is a 8 x 16’ mobile office trailer, which we bought used from a construction company.
The inner dimensions are roughly 7 x 15 so it’s a bit snug, but it sure beats milking in a dirty barn, which I did for the first few years. Our milking stands are from Premier One and they’re great because they are several inches taller than the average stand, great for seeing under short goats. They work for Nigerian Dwarfs, Mini Nubians and standard goats. The ramps are detachable.
We decided to install a professional dog grooming tub from Flying Pig Grooming, instead of a sink, so that we can bathe our Maremmas and even the goats if we want to! It also works as a sink for washing milking equipment. We had a small hot water heater installed, which is vital for cleaning the milking machine and washing jars and such.
We also had hot and cold water faucets installed on the outside for washing big items and bathing stinky goats. The water from inside the parlor drains into a couple of grey water tanks. There is a pump attached so we can use the waste water to irrigate our trees, which is really great when you live in a drought area.
I’ve built a holding pen on one side with panels and a portable gate from Premier 1, where the does wait their turn to be milked.
We are continually making improvements which I’ll share when I get the chance. Soon we are going to have a deck built with in and out ramps on each side and holding pens at each end. The deck will be big enough to milk on for when the weather is nice, but still easy to roll the milking machine back into the building for cleaning.